Marshal Law

Certain aspects of life apply themselves easily to mathematical principles. Let ‘A’ equal riding as a passenger on a major airline after 9/11 while suffering from a treatable mental condition. When one does this and adds both of the following conditions,

B. Not taking your meds when you know that you’re crazy without them
C. Not ensuring that your spouse takes his meds when you know that he’s crazy without them

then A+B+C can equal 'D': a dead passenger.

Federal air marshals fired on a passenger for the first time in U.S. history Wednesday and killed a Florida man who falsely claimed to have a bomb in his backpack shortly after boarding a jet in Miami, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Rigoberto Alpizar, a 44-year-old home-improvement store worker, bolted from a jet on the ground after he was confronted by two air marshals, then was shot on the jetway, said James Bauer, special agent in charge of the air marshals' Miami field office. No explosives were found on Alpizar's body or in his bag. [SNIP]

After the marshals told him to get on the ground, he turned and reached into his bag, prompting them to fire, Doyle said.

It’s a tragedy that this man is dead, but thank God for the Air Marshals; they don’t shoot to wound and they don’t take an interview beforehand with a prospective perp to see whether he/she is telling the truth when he/she says, “I have a bomb.” Wounded bombers can blow themselves and everyone around them to bits.

More from Pajamas Media, including at least one blogger who dubs the marshals “Federal Airport Nazis.” Hey, there's always one who doesn't get it.

As an aside, one wonders whether any bi-polar passengers of the tightly secure El Al Airlines ever forget their meds. It’s amazing what doesn’t happen when you know that you’ll get capped for acting crazy.

Comments

[Michael Heinz]

It’s amazing what doesn’t happen when you know that you’ll get capped for acting crazy.

You are *so* sigged.

[jsallison]

At the risk of sounding like a dittohead...well...errrr...uhhh... ;)

[beautifulatrocities]

I don't want Air Marshalls shooting to wound

[tad]

Without commenting on all the facets of this "event" (and Baldilocks, yet again [always?] has it completely right), I would say that it will reinforce that you better not act loopy on an airline. If you are a threat, or even appear to be one, you are a target....immediately.

[torchy]

Wonder if they'll start screening for mental illness. Wonder why no passengers intervened to drop his ass like a sack of dirt. Wonder why his wife, knowing his mental condition, though physically smaller, didn't grab him by the balls and squeezed hard. I wonder...

[Mescalero]

This poor guy suffered from the same malady as my nephew. The air marshalls did what they had to do given that this event probably happened in less than 30 seconds. At this point I grieve for both the air marshalls and for Rigoberto Alpizar and his family.

[baldilocks]

I have a bi-polar family member, Mescalero. I know very well that bi-polars are nucking futs when un-medicated.

I'm just glad that we were able to keep a reign on him/her and that he/she knew how to act/kept it under wraps in such situations.

[Lisa]

I guess I can't feel bad for this guy; definitely self-induced. The airlines aren't the spot for talk first, shoot later. Hope all the other folks travelling out there with mental disorders will remember their meds next time, or have a spouse with brains enough to at least try and slip them into his/her drink if they don't want to...oy...

[Anonymous MSgt]

The system worked as advertised. No loss, really. The mentally unbalanced should either be ruthlessly controlled/medicated, or locked up to run out their lives. Letting them run about with palliative medication that they can choose not to take just causes problems.

[Maggie45]

I also have a very close family member who is manic-depressive. Something that is common among them is not wanting to take their meds. This is emphasized in "An Unquiet Mind:a memoir of moods and madness" by Dr Kay Redfield Jamison, herself a manic-depressive who is a professor at Johns Hopkins U. My sister recommended this book when I was having a really big problem dealing with our family member. It helped a lot. Eventually my family member read it and it helped convince him to stay on his meds.

[Skinner]

If I ever go down t L.A. Im gonna drive around with my Oregon plates cutting people off , weaving around, flipping people off , honking my horn and generally being a real A- Hole
Just because when I moved up here with California plates In 76 I had people honking ,flipping me off etc. Why ?I had california plates the first job I got everyone told me you got to get rid of those Cal. plates Does it make since for me to go down there and be a prick? no But Ive been up here too long .So let me have some fun If all the Oregonians moved to cal Modesto would be the biggest city west of the rockies........ besides Bakersfeild

[Skinner]

only a loony like me would comment on the wrong post
NEVER MIND this was supposed to be undernieth Baldilock's road rage post.......... Baldilocks, try to tone it down a notch Its the
"holiday" season

[Skinner]

I know zipping around in youre blue Kia you heard 6 different versions of the little drummer boy and youre pissed Pah rum pa pum ..... Thats when I turn off the asphalt and find a dirt road
that goes out into the desert
and grab a beer out the cooler
pah rum pa pum pum!!!!!

[Linda F]

I do sympathize with the family - it isn't easy to cope with bi-polar symptoms.

However, the air marshalls were 100% right to take action. The man and his wife should have either driven or she should have insisted on his taking his meds. This is a clear-cut example of the problem of "freedom" in med choices. If you're bi-polar & you interact with the public, you need to be medicated. It's not fair to put the responsibility of dealing with YOUR issues on the rest of us.

I feel strongly about this. I have someone with that illness who I deal with regularly, and when he is not medicated, he is violent. Frankly, he scares many of the people who have to be around him.

Part of the whole de-institutionalization thing is that it releases some who JUST WILL NOT TAKE THEIR MEDS. They should have a choice - medicate, or get locked up. For everybody's good.

[Xrlq]

Wonder why no passengers intervened to drop his ass like a sack of dirt.

It could be because none of the passengers thought the guy was a threat. So far, two have come forward to say as much, and none have corroborated the marshalls' allegation that he claimed to have a bomb.

Not saying the marshalls were wrong, but based on the limited information we have right now, I don't think it's as cut and dried as some suggest it is.

[anonymous]

Federal nazis go after an easy
mark. Go after the real terrorists
big men